Coating paper with paraffine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. B. HOWE 81.- M. D. KNOWLTON.

COATING PAPER WITH PARAVPFINE.

IWLBEZUB, l7. Ewwlion.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2, W. B. HOWE & M. D. KNOWLTON.

COATING PAPER WITH PARAPFINE.

Patented July 6, 1886;

M I M I W M W M m M I W M y y M I N4 PIJERS. Wain-Lithographer. wahingm. 0.6.

tlnrran STATES .ATENT lVAR-REN B. HOIVE AND MARK D; KNOVVLTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COATING PAPER WITH PARAFFINE.

CLCBCIFICATIQN fora-ling part of Letters Patent No. 34%,965, dated July 6, 1886.

Application filed April H, 1886.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, \VARREN I3. HOWE and MARK D. KNoWL'roN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coating Paper with Paraffiue; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of'this specification.

In the i'miuulacture of paraffined or waxed paper, as usually heretofore conducted, melted paraftine has been applied to the paper in such manner as to fully saturate and coatthe paper therewith, thus requiring the removal of the surplus paraffine as a separate step in the process.

A main object of this invention is to provide an improved method of and means for making waxed or parafiined paper whereby the quantity of paraflinc originally applied to the paper may be limited or restricted to an amount which it is desired that the finished product should contain, thus rendering unnecessary the removal of a super-abundance of the applied material and thereby simplifying and cheapening the process and improving the product.

The improved method constituting our i11- vention consists, as its essential or principal steps, in placing or holding one or more thicknesses or layers of paper to which paraffine has been previously applied in contact with or between other unparaflined thicknesses or layers of paper, and then applying heat to the several layers thus brought into cont-act with each other, so as to cause the melting of the parafline in the paraffined layer or layers and the absorption of a part of the paraftlne by the unparaffined sheets, with the resultthat the said paraftine is evenly distributed throughout all of the layers or thicknesses thus held or compacted together. In carrying out the process'embracing the steps mentioned the paraffine originally taken up by or containedin the paraffined layer or layers may obviously be distributed through or in a greater or less number of unparaffined layers, so that by varying the relative number of paraffined and unparafiined layers or thicknesses the amount of the material absorbed or taken into each layer may be accurately.determined and limited, and paper produced containing the pre cise quantity of paralfine desired.

- Inasmuch as each individual sheet or thickness of paper of the several sheets operated upon in the manner above described will be less than fully saturated, there will obviously be no surface parafl'lne upon any of the layers of a mass or body made up and heated in the manner described tending to cause said layers to adhere to each other, so that when the layers or thicknesses are separated no superfluous paraffine requiring removal will be presentv thereupon. We usual l y prefer in practiee,however, to separate the layers or thicknesses in the presence of heat, or to apply heat sufficient to melt the paraffine in the thicknesses after they have been separated, so that the parafiine taken up by the paper may be more perfectly diffused therein and evenly distributed upon the surface thereof, as hereinafter more fully explained.

One practical and desirable way of carrying out the process above set forth which we have successfully practiced consists in applying parafline to a single endless strip or web of paper and then-rolling said strip or web into a compact mass with other unparaftined strips or webs, the compact mass or roll thus formed being subjected to heat sufficient to melt the paraffine either during the process of rolling or afterward, so as to enable the paraffine to become distributed evenly throughout all the layers of the roll. 1

Another practicable way of carrying out our invention is to pass one or more paraffined layers or thicknesses of paper together with several unparaffined layers or thicknesses through or between heated presser-rollers, whereby the several paraffined and unparaffined layers or thicknesses are pressed closely together, so as to cause the absorption of the surplus paraffine from the paraffined layer or layers into those that are unparaffined, with the result of evenly distributing the paraffiue in the manner above set'forth.

The process hereinbefore set forth may be carried out. furthermore by folding or compacting together a series of sheets or layers of paper, some of which have been previously paraffined, so as to bring the several layers into contact with each other otherwise than by rolling them or by passing them between rollersas, for instance, a series of paraffined and unparaflined sheets may be piled one upon another, so as to form a body or mass of paper, and the sheets thus placed may beheld in contact with each other by suitable clamping or pressure devices, and subjected toheat while thus held, so as to cause the even diffusion of the parafline throughout the entire massin the manner hereinbefore stated.

The means for paraflining paper, forming part of our invention, comprises an improved apparatus or device, whereby the process above described may be conveniently carried into efi'ect, as will hereinafter fully appear.

The invention may be more readily understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing several long sheets or webs of paper, one of which has been parafiined, rolled together for the purpose of distributing the surplus material in the parafiined layer throughout the other layers of the roll. Fig. l is a perspective view showing two heated presser-rolls and a paraffine-saturated sheet, passing together through said rolls. Fig. 3 is aseetional view of an apparatus for carrying out my improved profor paratfining a series of sheets in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken longitudinally through the rollers shown in Fig. 5, upon line was of said figure.

A, Figs. 1, 3, and 4, indicates a roll of pa per formed by rolling together a single sheet or strip, a, of paper which has been fully saturated with paraffine, or which contains an amount of parafline greater than is desired in the finished product, and several sheets or strips, (if a, of unparaflined paper. By subjecting the roll A thus formed to heat snfiicient to melt the paraffine contained in the parafiined layer the melted paratiine will, by capillary action, become evenly diffused throughout the entire mass of the roll. A roll such as is shown in Fig. 1 may obviously be made up with more than one previouslyparaflined sheet with the same result as when only one parafiined sheet is employed, the relative number of paraifined and unparafiined sheets, of course, being proportioned to give the required amount of parafline in the product. The extent to which the nnparafiined paper will absorb the paratfine from'the par atfined layer or layers in the roll, or, in

other words, the number of sheets or bulk of paper within which the quantity of parafline contained in one or more of the layers will become distributed, is found to depend upon the temperature employed to heat the roll, the

equal quantities of paraifine.

quantity or thickness of the paper, and to some extent upon the tightness with which the paper is rolled or compacted together. relatively high temperature is found to promote the flow or diffusion of the parafline, as is also the close contact of the layers of the mass. With paper of the kind commonly employed, when rolled with moderate tightness or closeness, the parafiine is found to become absorbed by and diflnsed through a relatively large number of unparaffined sheets, so that a paper may be made in the manner described, which is much less than fully saturated, and which, therefore, while being sufficiently water-proof, has a dry surface, and does not greatly differ in appearance from unparatfined paper.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated another means for carrying my invention into practice, in which is employed for pressing or holding several paraffined and unparafiined layers of paper together a pair of opposing presserrollers, B B, herein shown as heated by steam entering the rollers through pipes 13 B, but which in practice may be heated by other means, as may be found convenient or desirable. In this instance paraffine originally applied to and taken up or absorbed by a sheet or layer, a, of paper is distributed in a number of unparafiined sheets or layers, a a, by passing the said several layers a a a" together between the heated rollers B B, the paraflined sheet or layer a being desirably arranged to form the middle sheet or layer of the several layers passi ng between the rollers, so that there will be an equal number of unparaffined sheets or layers upon each side of it,- into which the surplus paratfine in the layer a will become absorbed. The several sheets or layers are preferably separated after passing the rollers, as indicated at a a, and it is found that after the several layers or sheets are separated each of said sheets or layers, including the layer (I, originally paraffined, will contain practically Fig. 3 illustrates an apparatus for winding a paraffined sheetintoa roll with unparaflined sheets or webs of paper in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1. This apparatus comprises a closed chamber, 0, within which is placed the paper-roll A, together with a paraffine-tank, D, a roll, A, of unparaflined paper, which is located'over the tank in position to dip at its lower part into the parafiine contained in the said tank, and a heating-coil, E, whereby the space within the chamber is maintained at a desired temperature above the melting point of parafiine. In this case the single sheet or web a takes up a supply of parafiine by the rotation of the roll A in the paraffine contained in the tank D, and said sheet or web is wound upon the roll A, together with several strips or webs a a, which are unwound from a series of rolls, A A", also located within the said heating-chamber. By the use of an apparatus of this kind the paraffine applied to the layer or web a is retained in its melted state, while the said web is being wound upon the roll A, and the said roll and the several unparaflined layers A A are brought together in a heated state, and at the same temperature above the melting-point of paraffine, so that the distribution of the par-affine from the strip or web a to the other parts of the mass of paper within the roll A takes place immediately and continuously while the roll is'being wound, and the roll remains at a desirably-high temperature until the paraffine originally contained in the strip or web a is evenly distributed throughoutthe mass.

manner described the several layersof paper unwound therefrom will be found to be evenly saturated, and may be used as a marketable product without further treatment, and said roll may be sent direct to the consumer without previously unwinding it.

The central shaft, a, upon which the.rollA is wound, will, in an apparatus like that shown in Fig. 3, be extended at one end through the side of the chamber 0, and will be provided with a belt-pulley, or with a crank, as indicated in dotted lines in said Fig. 3, or otherwise arranged so that it may be rotated for the purpose of winding the paper thereon.

In a prior application, No. 193,363, for'Letters Patent of the United Statesfor an improvement in the art of paraffining paper, filed by WVarren l3. I-Iowe upon the 26th day of February, 1886,is described a process by which the amount of paraftine entering the paper may be limited by applying it to the paper when the latter is held in a compact mass or" roll. One way of carrying out the process set forth in such prior application, therein described, consists in drawing a long sheetor web of paper from a compact mass or roll mounted over apa i'affine-ta11k,so as to dip into the paraffine contained in said tank.

It will be observed that the means for applying paraffine to the layer or sheet a (shown in Fig. 3) is similar to that above referred to as being described in said prior application, the amount of the parafline taken up by the said layer a in the apparatus shown in said Fig. 3'

obviously being limited, or less than will fully saturate and coat the said layer, by reason of the facts that the outer surface only of said sheet is exposed to the melted parafiine, and that a considerable part of the .paraf fine taken up by the said sheet, when the rollers are arranged as shown in the said Fig. 3, will be absorbed by the inner sheets of paper upon the roll before the outer layer is separated therefrom.

Ve find it desirable in some cases to limit the amount of paraffine taken up by the sheet or layer a, to which the paraffine is originally applied, and this may be done either in the manner above stated and shown in Fig. 3 or otherwise. In carrying out the process constituting our invention, therefore, paraffine may be applied to the initially-treated sheet Upon removing the .roll A from they heated chamber 0 after being rolled in the said sn rfaces.

or layer in such manner as to less than fully saturate the said sheet or layer in either of the ways described in said prior application, or by any other method or process found convenient or practicable. In case it is desired that the said sheet or layer a should retain and convey into the mass or roll A a greater quantity of paraffine than will be taken up by said sheet or layer when the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 is employedfthe roll A A may be p reversed, so as to run in the opposite direction from that shown, and the paraflined sheet drawn from the roll A at a point near the bottom of the latter, so that it may leave the roll near the level of the top of the paraffine in the tank, and thereby retain a much greater quantity of paraftine than it would if taken from the top of the roll. The position of the layer or sheet a when drawn from the roll A in the manner last mentioned is indicated by the dotted. line a in Fig. 3.

Although the layers drawn from a roll, A, after the paraffinedand unparaffined layers have been rolled together and subjected to fact that when the sheets are held in a compact mass portions of the parafiine withinthe mass will be retained by capillary action between the surfaces in contact, so that when said surfaces are separated small adhering portions of paraffine will be distributed over By heating the sheets after separation any melted paraffine upon the layers will obviously flow or become evenly distributed over the entire surface thereof, so that said surface will begiven a perfectly even and smooth appearance.

I have shown in Fig. 4 a device which may. be employed for unwinding in the presence of heat a roll, A, such as is shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Said apparatus consists, principally, of a chamber, F, heated by a coil, G, or otherwise, and provided with means for sustaining the roll A therein, and with exit-openings f, provided with guide rods or wires f through and ,over which the several paraffined layers a" from the roll A may be carried to a series of rolls, A, upon which the sheets are separately and finally wound, said layers obviously being cooled in their passage through the air at an ordinary temperature between the exit-opening of the chamber and the roll A so that the paraffine therein becomes hard before the paper isagaiu rolled.

When an apparatus such as is shown in Fig. 3 is employed for carrying out our in1 proved process, the several layers composing the roll A may be separated within the chamher 0 thereof by carrying the several layers from the said roll outwardly through suitable apertures in the said chamber in the manner indicated by the dotted lines a in said Fig. 3.

In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown an apparatus whereby the process may be carried out in the way generally described in connection with Fig. 2, or in such manner that the several steps of paraffiuing-a single layer, bringing the paraflined layer'into contact with other unparaflincd layers, and then separating the several layers and exposing them to heat after separation are performed as a con tinuous operation. The said apparatus shown in Figs. 5 and 6 comprises a closed chamber, H, which is heated by a steam-coil, I, or otherwise, a paraflinc-tank, J, a cylinder or roller, K, revolving with its lower part within the tank, and two presser rollers, BB, similar to those shown in Fig. 2, located within the said chamber. A is a roll of unparaffined paper, from which the" web or sheet a is carried partially around and beneath the roller K, so as to cause the immersion of said web or sheet in the melted parafiine contained in the tank J, and A A are a series of roll-- ers, from which are drawn unparaifincd strips or webs a a, which pass partially around the rollers B B, and between said rollers, together with the parafiined sheet or web a. The several rollers A A are desirably arranged half above and half below the presser-rollers B, so that an equal number of nnparaffined sheets are brought into contact with the paratfined sheet a upon each side of the latter in passing through the presser-rollers. The said rollers B are shown as heated by steam-pipes B, and operate in the manner set forth in connection with Fig. 2 topress or hold the several layers in contact with each other while the lat ter are subjected to heat, and thereby cause the even difiusion throughout all the layers of the paraffine contained in the single layer or sheet a. In the sectional view, Fig. 6, suitable driving-gearing for the rollers B B is shown, consisting of interlneshing gearwheels B" B driven by gear-wheel B upon adriving-shaft, B. Theseveral sheets, strips, or webs a afipassing from the rollers B B,are desirably separated and passed through apertures h in the wall of the chamber H to rollers A A", upon which the paper is finally wound, suitable guide-rods,h, being provided adjacent to the openings h for suitably guiding the sheets to the said rollers A. Inasmuch as in this construction the several paralfined layers a a are separated from each other within the heated chamber H, and are thereafter allowed to cool in their passage to the rollers A, which are located at a considerable distance from the chamber,the paraffine upon each strip or sheet will be allowed to diffuse itself evenly thereon, and to thereafter become set or hardened before the paper is rolled, so that the same desirable result of giving a smooth and even appearance to the paper is obtained as isdescribed in connection with the apparatus shown in Fig. 4.

It is entirely obvious that the process hereinbefore set forth may be carried out when board, or similar material it may be found convenient to operate thereon when in separate sheets, as above mentioned.

It will of course be understood that in the use of an apparatus or devices similar to those hereinbefore described more than onelayer or thickness of paper may be initially treated or paratfined for the purpose of transferring the paraffine therein contained to other an paratfined layers or thicknesses, the result in the use of one or more than one layer in this manner obviously being practically the same. An important and principal advantage of our improved process is that means are thereby provided for accurately and perfectly controlling the amount of parafiine applied to the paper, so as to obtain the exact degree of saturation or quantity of parafline in each layer or sheet that is desired by reason of economical or other considerations.

Certain novel features of construction in the apparatus or devices shown form part of our invention and are covered by certain of the appended claims.

\Ve claim as our invention- 1. The improvement in the art of manufac- A turing paratfined paper, which consists in placing in contact with each other one or more sheets or layers of paper containing parafiine and other unparafiined sheets or layers of paper, and applying heat to the body or mass of paper thus formed, substantially as described.

2. The method of making paraffined paper, which consists in rolling together one or more sheets or layers of paper containing parafline and other unparafiined sheets or layers of paper, and applying heat to the roll thus formed, substantially as described.

3. The method of making paraflined paper, which consists in placing in contact with each other a number of sheets or layers of paper, one or more of which contains parat'fine, ap plying heat to the body or mass of paper thus formed, and thereafter separating the layers of the body or mass and applying heat to the said layers after they are separated, substantiallyas described.

4. The method of making paraflined paper, which consists in rolling together a number of sheets of paper, one or more of which contains paraffine, so as to form a compact mass or roll, applying heatto the said mass or roll, and thereafter unwinding the roll and separating the layers thereof in the presence of heat, substantially as described.

5. The method of making paraffinedpaper in continuous lengths or webs, which consists in continuously applying melted paraffine to one or more webs of paper, and thereafter bringing the paper thus paraffined into contact with webs of unparaflined paper in the presence of heat, substantially as described.

6. The method of making paraffined paper in continuous lengths or webs, which consists in continuously applying melted paraffine to one or more webs of paper, and rolling the paper thus paraffined into a compact mass or roll together with webs of unparaffined paper, and applying heat to the mass or roll, substantially as described.

7. The method of making paraflined paper in continuous lengths or webs, which consists in continuously applying melted para-ffine to one or more webs of paper, rolling the paper thus paraflined into a compact mass or roll together with webs of unparaffined paper, applying heat to the mass or roll thus formed, and thereafter unwinding the roll and separatbeing performed inthe presence of heat, sub

stantially as described.

9. An apparatus for paraffining paper, comprising a heated chamber, a paraffiue-tank located within the chamber, means sustaining a paper-roll, as A, over the tank, means sustaining other paper-rolls, as A A and a revolving shaft or mandrel, a upon which may be wound the paper from the said several rolls, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WVARREN B. HOWE.

MARK D. KNOWLTON.

XVitnesscs:

G. CLARENCE PooLE, M. 11 DAYTON. 

